Switch-operating mechanism.



PATENTED DEC. 22, 1903.

o D.HUNT SWITCH OPERATING MBGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR, 21, 1903.

No Moi-JEL.

,WITNESSES n w UNITED STATES Patented December 22, 1903.

OLIVER D. HUNT, or COLUMBUS, OHIO.

SWITCH-OPERATING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.747,886, dated December 22, 1903.

Application filed March 2l, 1903. Serial No. 148.922. (No modal.) Y

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, OLIVER D. HUNT, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a specication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in means for operating switch-points from a moving car; and its object is to provide a simple and efficientconstruction for the purpose which will require but little space and is all located near the surface of the road-bed where every part is accessible.

A further object is to provide a suitable operating mechanism to be carried by the cars and to provide certain other new and useful features land the particular arrangement and combination of parts, all as hereinafter more fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a plan view ofthe road-bed, showing the rails, switch-point,and guide-slot, andv also showing the operating mechanism with the covers of its casings removed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the operating mechanism carried by the car, and Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same and also showing a crosssection of the slot-plate and one of thecasiugs.

As shown in the drawings, Arepresents the main-track rails, B the rails of'the branch or switch, and-C the switch-point. Extending longitudinally of the rails and located, preferably, between the same is the slot-plate D, provided with a longitudinal slot D', the upper angles of which slot are cut away, as shown at D2, to guide the operating-arm E into the slot when said arm is lowered. Each of the cars is provided with one of the operating-arms E, which is pivoted at one end to a bracket F, secured to the truck-frame of the car or other convenient place of attachment, and consists of two parts E' and E2, joined by a hinged joint'Es to allow the arm to yield or double up should it strike an obstruction when lowered, said arm being nor-v mally held extended and also in its raised position bya spring G, which is attached at one end to an ear on the lower portion E2 of thearm and at its opposite end to a projecting portion tend outward from the sides of the arm to en#` gage the top of the slot-plate D and limit the distance which the arm may be thrust into the slot.

Extending longitudinally of the track through suitable bearings J and bearings formed therefor in the casings K and K' is the longitudinally-movable shaft J, and to the switch-point C is pivotally attachedat one,

end aV link L, and atthe opposite end said link is pivotally attached to one arm of a bell'- crank lever L', which is pivoted to anysuitable support and has the outer end of its opi posite arm pivotally-attached, by means 0f a link L2, to the end of the shaft J. On the shaft J .within the casing K is secured an ear M', which is connected by M2 to one end of the 'lever or bar M, said lever being pivoted intermediate its ends upon a boss M8 in the bottom of the casing in such a position relative to the guide-slot D' that when turned to one position one end of said lever will be `projected across said slot in a position to be engaged by the operating-arm E, and within the casing K' a similar ear N' is secured to the shaft, to which ear is pivotally secured one end of a link N2, the opposite end of said link being attached to one end of a bar N 3, which is pivoted intermediate its ends at N4 to a boss on the bottomof the casing and the opposite end of which is connected to the bar N by a second link N5. The bar N is also pivoted intermediate its ends to a bossen the bottom of the casing and so positioned that when moved in one direction it will be projected across the. slot in position to be engaged by the arm E,

the intermediate bar Nsand link N5 between the bar N and link N2causing the harto move in an opposite direction to that of bar M, said bar N being moved across the slot as the bar vM is withdrawn, and vice versa. The bars loc and links are all placed with their width extending longitudinally, and lthe bars M and N move directly beneath the slot-plate D. Therefore only shallow cases are required, and as these casings do not set far into the road-bed and are provided with removable top plates K2 the parts are readily accessible.

The shaft .I is divided near its end adjacent to the switch-point and the two parts united by a yielding connection consisting of a cylinder O, secured to the end of one part, and a piston-head O', secured to the end of the other part within the cylinder, springs O2 being interposed at each side o'f the piston between the piston and the heads of the cylinder to normally hold the piston from moving in the cylinder. The longitudinal movement or throw of the shaft is greater than the throw of the switch-point, so that the point will be thrust hard against the rail, one`of the springs O2 yielding to allow the shaft to be fully thrown. In this construction one or the other of the bars M N will always be projected across the slot in position to be operated by the operating-arm on the car whether the switch-point has been thrown by the device on a previous car, by the car-wheel of a car going in the opposite direction, or by a pinchbar, and they cannot throw too far or become inoperative because of not having been thrown far enough, as their movementis limited by the casing, and if both project into the slot the operating-arm will contact the first bar and throw it out of the slot and at the same time throw the otherentirely across the slot.

Having fully described the invention, what I claim isl. The combination, with a switch-point, of a longitudinally-movable shaft, means for operating the switch-point by the movement of said shaft, pivoted levers adapted to be turned to project their free ends across the path of an arm carried by the car, a link pivotally connecting one of said levers to said shaft, and a bar pivoted intermediateits ends and connected at its ends by links to the other lever and to the shaft respectively.

2. The combination, with a switch-point, of a plate having a guide-slot for an operating-arm carried by the car, a longitudinallymovable shaft, a bell-crank, links connecting the arms of said bell-crank to the shaft and switch-point respectively, levers pivoted intermediate their ends and adapted to be turned to project across the guide-slot, ears on said shaft, alink pivotally connecting one of said ears and one of the levers, a bar pivoted intermediate its ends, a link connecting end of said bar and an ear on the shaft, and a link pivotally connecting the opposite end of said bar and one end of the other lever.

3. The combination, with a switch-point having a limited throw, of a longitudinallymovable shaft divided into two parts and having a greater throw than the switch-point, means for connecting the parts of said shaft to allow the same to yield longitudinally, a bell-crank connecting the end of said shaft with the switch-point, levers pivoted to turn into and out of the path of an arm carried by the car, and links connecting said levers and the shaft.

4. The combination, with a switch-point, a plate having a guide-slot, and means adapted to project into said slot and connected to said switch-point to operate the same, of a bracket carried by a car, an operating-arm pivoted to said bracket and made in two parts hinged together, a spring attached at one end to the bracket and at its opposite end to said arm beyond its hinge to hold the arm extended and in its raised position, and means for forcing said arm downward to enter the slot.

5. The combination, with a switch-point, a plate having a guide-slot, and means adapted to project into said slot and connected to said switch-point to4 operate the same, of a bracket carried by the car, an operating-arm consisting of two parts one of which is pivoted at one end to the bracket and extends outward therefrom and the other part is hinged to the end of the first part and eX- tends downward, aspring secured at one end to the downwardly-extendingpart of the arm and at its opposite end to the bracket, togglelevers pivoted to the outwardly-extending portion of the arm and to the bracket, an operating-rod connected to the joint of said toggle-levers, a spring to normally hold said levers o the center, and rollers on the downwardly-extending portion of the arm to engage the slot-plate.

6. The combination, with a switch-point, of a longitudinallymovable shaft divided into two parts, a bell-crank, links connecting the ends of said bell-crank and the shaft and switch-point respectively, a cylinder secured to one end of one of the parts of said shaft, a piston-head on the opposite end of the other part of the shaft, springs engaging the ends of said cylinder and the opposite sides of said piston-head, a plate having a guide-slot for an operating-arm on a car, casings extending outwardly from said plate and beneath the same and provided with bearings for said shaft, levers pivoted intermediate their ends upon bosses in said casings and projecting beneath said plate, ears on said shaft, a link connecting one of said ears with the end of one of said levers, a bar pivoted intermediate its ends to a boss on one of the casings, alink connecting the other ear on the shaft with the end of said bar and a link connecting the other end of said bar with the end of the other lever.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OLIVER D. HUNT.

Witnesses:

E. R. DUNN, GEO. B. DoNAvIN.

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